Decorative light for christmas trees and the like



Nov. 14, 1939. E. P. SEGHERS 2 DECORATIVE LIGHT FOR CHRISTMAS TREES AND THE LIKE Filed March 5, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l DECORATIVE LIGHT FOR CHRISTMAS TREES AND THE LIKE Nov. 14, 1939;

E. P. SEGHERS r Fil'ed March 5, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 :mmlii.

- Imam 'fiu el f 56' 3666 Patented Nov. 14, 1939 PATENT OFFICE DECORATIVE LIGHT FOR CHRISTMAS TREES AND THE LIKE.

Emiel P. Seghers, Chicago, Ill.

Application March 5, 1937, Serial No. 129,130

P 12 Claims. (01. 173-355) This invention relates to decorative lighting devices such as are commonly used for Christmas trees and the like and has for its principal object the provision of a new and improved string of lights of this character.

Christmas tree light strings usually consist of a plug terminating a series circuit containing eight sockets into which the decorative lamps are inserted. As soon as the lamps are thus connected in series, if one of them burns out the entire string is extinguished and there is no way of telling which lamp is faulty other than by unscrewing the lamps from their sockets, one at a time, and replacing them with lamps known to be good.

It is a'further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved socket for lamps of this type in which is contained a means for short-circuiting the lamp so that in case of failure of the string, the faulty lamp may be located without the necessity of unscrewing the individual lamps from their sockets.

A further object of the invention resides in the I provision of a Christmas tree string wherein one end of the conductor of the string is permanently attached to the plug, a single conductor is extended from socket to socket and the conductor at the other end of the string is terminated in an insulated terminal which is adapted to be inserted in the plug to complete the circuit through the string,

Further objects of the invention not specifically mentioned here will be apparent from the detailed description and claims which follow, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which a preferred'embodiment of the invention is shown by way of example, and in which:

Figure 1 is ,a cross-sectional view through the improved socket;

Figure 2' is a plan view of the same;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 1 taken along the line 33 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view through a modified form of socket;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 55 of Figure 4 looking in the direction of the arrows; Figure 6 is anexploded view in section of the plug and terminal;

Figure '7 is a schematic wiring diagram of the string;

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a modified 5 form of socket;

socket containing means for shortcircuiting the 10 lamp contained therein to facilitate locating a fault in a Christmas tree string. The present invention relates in part to improvements upon the device of this earlier patent, the improve- 1 ments being such as to enable the device to be 15' more readily manufactured in quantities at a reduced cost.

In my earlier Patent 1,974,472, there is shown a plug and terminal arrangement up on which the instant application is in part an improvement. 0

Referring now to the drawings in more detail, the socket of the present invention comprises a cup-like casing or shell I0 composed of an insulating material and containing an internal cavity ll which opens into one end of the casing and is terminated by the end section I2 of the casing. As shown, the-casing II] is generally cylindrical, but it will be understood that polygonal shapes may be employed within the teachings of the invention. The cavity l I in any event 30 will be generally circular in cross-section.

The walls of the part of the casing I0 adjacent to the closed end 12 are flared outwardly, as shown'at I3, Figure 3, to form a groove within the casing, which groove extends longitudinally thereof and opens into the cylindrical cavity H. The end section l2 contains a perforation M which registers With this groove and opens into the side wall section l3 of the casing.

Within the'casing a bridge section l5 extends 0 across the groove near the open end of the casing, being spaced away from the wall section l3 to form therewith a pocket [6 within the casing.

Preferably the casing thus described will be formed by molding the same from a plastic in- '4 sulating material such as the phenol-condensation product commonly known as Bakelite although other suitable materials may be used if desired.

Within the casing there is a metallic strip I1 having a bent-over end which is nested in the pocket 16. The bent-over portion of this strip is normally V-shaped and wider at its large end than the width of the pocket so that when once forced into the pocket, the tension of the end por' tion will hold the strip securely in the casing. A lever I8 is disposed in the groove in the casing and projects through the openinug l4 so as to render the lever accessible from the outside. The opposite end of strip I! is bent over at right angles to the main portion of the strip and registered with a groove in the lever [8, which groove is formed with such dimensions that the strip snugly fits therein. This arrangement serves as an inexpensive means for locking the lever in the casing, and is preferred, but other arrangements may be used as desired. The lever [B may be composed of fiber or any other suitable insulating material and may be made either by a stamping or a molding process.

The casing thus formed and assembled serves as a housing for the contact making elements of the lamp socket, which elements are of usual construction familiar to those skilled in the art. As shown, these elements consist of a lamp receiving shell 20 which is composed of metal, usually brass, and contains female threads adapted to receive the male threads of the lamp bulb base. One end of the shell 20 contains an insulating plate 2! which carries a contact means 22 that is adapted to engage the central terminal of the lamp bulb in the usual manner. The opposite end of the shell is flared outwardly and serrated so that when forced into the casing the teeth-like projection on the edge of the shell will tend to bite into the walls of the casing and thereby retain the shell in the casing.

The contact means 22 carried by the shell and insulated therefrom is shaped to form a contactor 24 disposed outside of the shell. This contactor is conical in shape, as Will be seen in Figures l and 3, and because of this shape, shell 20 does not have to be registered with the casing in any particular manner, as Will presently appear.

The end wall I2 of the casing contains a centrally located circular perforation 25 best seen in Figure 2, formed diametrically, opposite sides of which are projected extensions 25 which are circular and of smaller diameter. One conductor of the string 2! is disposed in one of the extensions 26 and connected to the contact means 22 in any preferred manner such as by soldering, thereby to extend a circuit to one terminal of the lamp. A second conductor 28 extends through the other extension 25 and is connected to the shell 20 in any preferred manner, as by soldering. The conductors 26 and 21 are threaded through the casing and connected to the shell and contact means prior to insertion of the shell in the casing, the opening 25 being of suflicient diameter to permit the two wires to move freely therethrough. After the shell has been inserted in the casing the wires are forced outwardly into the extensions 26 which tightly pinch the insulation surrounding the wire. This arrangement accomplishes two purposes; first any mechanical strains which may be placed on the socket are transferred to the wires independently of the soldered connections, and second, the insulation is pinched tightly and the tendency of the same to unravel from the wire is thereby arrested.

As will be seen in Figure 1, strip I1 is bowed so that it normally makes contact with the shell 20, preferably the strip is composed of a spring material such as spring brass or phosphor bronze. The spring also normally is held out of engagement with the contactor 24.

When it is desired to test the lamp contained. in the socket thus formed, lever I8 is pushed inwardly of the socket to move strip [1 into engagement with contactor 24, thereby to momentarily short-circuit the lamp by connecting together the two terminals thereof. As soon as the pressure upon lever I8 is removed, the tension of strip l1 restores the parts to the normal position in which they are shown in Figure 1. Since contactor 24 is conical, its periphery is circular and is centered upon the axis of the shell, and strip i! will engage the contactor regardless of its angular position. This is advantageous as accurate aligning of the parts during assembly is not required.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 2, the casing is of the same general shape as before except that there are two extensions of the side walls thereof, 30 and 3|, best seen in Figure 5, two bridges 32 and 33 disposed at the end of the groove formed by extensions 30 and 3| and adjacent to the open end of the casing. The

ridges in this embodiment of the invention do not completely block the end of the groove but rather leave a passage under the bridge and between it and the wall section. A metallic strip 34 encircles the bridge 33 with its end section disposed in the groove in the casing. A lever 35 has a bevelled end which engages the end of the looped portion of the strip 34. The opposite end of this strip is bent over and registered snugly in a slot in the lever, as before. When the parts are assembled in this manner, the lever tends to lock the strip in place in the casing, and the strip locks the lever in place therein and the parts will not fall apart in the normal handling of the device during assembly.

The casing contains a perforation 36 located at the end wall thereof and through which lever 35 extends. Preferably lever 35 is formed from an insulating material, such as fiber, by punching. The end wall of the casing also contains perforation 31 located diametrically opposite the perforation 3G and through which the two Wires 38 and 39 are led into the socket.

Wire 39 is extended downwardly in the groove formed by wall 30 and is wrapped around the bridge 32, the insulation being cut away from that portion of the wire extending around the bridge.

Wire 3'! is extended into engagement with a contactor 40 carried by and insulated from the shell 4!, being fastened thereto in any preferred manner such as by soldering. The contactor 40 is a fiat strip bent in the general shape of a hairpin and inserted through an opening in the in sulation carried by the shell 4!, after which the ends of the contactor are bent outwardly, as will be seen in Figures 4 and 5.

After the wire 31 has been soldered to the contactor shell 4| is forced into the casing, the flared section of the shell engaging the wire 39 and the contact strip 34. It will be noted that there is but one soldered connection in the socket.

When it is desired to test the lamp contained in the socket lever 35 is moved inwardly to bring strip 34 into engagement with contactor 40 as well as with the shell 4|, thereby to momentarily short circuit the lamp. As soon as pressure is removed from lever 35, the tension in strip 34 restores the lever and strip into the normal position in which they are shown in the drawings.

Figures 8 and 9, there is shown still another modification of the socket structure. In this embodiment of the invention the casing is constructed in the same manner as the casing shown in Figures 4 and 5, except that the perforation 50 in the closed end of the casing extends also in- 75 I type shown in Figure 10.

.of the Christmas tree string extends through a 2,180,121 to the side wall thereof. Within the casing there is disposed a-contactor consisting of a ring having integral arms 52 and 53 diametrically opposed to each other and extending upwardly from the ring. The ring is dished into a frustroconical configuration adapted to register with the flared portion of the lamp receiving shell 54. A lever 55 is disposed in the groove and the free end of extension 52 is bent over as shown at 56 to register snugly ina groove in the lever thereby to hold the lever in the casing.

The wall section 51 which forms the other groove in the casing contains an inwardly extending boss ,58 alongside of which the free end of extension 53 is located.

The'outer diameter of ring 5| is such that the ring has to be forced intovthe casing with sufficient tension to hold it in there independently of any other fastening means.

The end wall of the casing contains two independent perforations. Through one of these perforations there is extended a wire 60 which terminates in a metallic terminal 6| that is coined to a substantially spherical end. The free end of extension 53 of the ring 5| is shaped to register with the coined terminal 5| and to exert suflicient pressure thereon to hold the terminal against the boss 58, thereby to secure the, wire 69 in thesocket. If desired, a bushing 62 may be fitted into the opening through which the wire is extended, this bushing being forced intothe opening-to assist spring 53 in holding the wire in the socket. A second wire 63 is projected through the other perforation in the end wall section of the socket, this wire being terminated by a coined terminal 64 which is identical with the coined terminal 6|. The contactor 65 carried by and insulated from the shell 54 is formed to embrace the coined terminal 64 and secure the wire to the socket. The contactor 65 also includes a member 66 which projects radially outwardly and terminates near the edge of the shell 54.

After the terminal 64 has been connected with the contactor 65, shell 54 is forced into the easing and the flared portion of the shell nested within the ring 5| to establish an electrical contact therebetween. Wire 63 is then pulled back, and, if desired, a bushing 61 may be forced into the opening in the casing through which the wire extends.

'Ilhe socket thus formed is without soldered connections and may be short circuited by moving lever 55 inwardly to engage the arm 52with the strip 66.

The socket shown in Figure 8 may be completely assembled prior to the registration of the wires 69 and 63 therewith, and the wires inserted in the socket and registration with their respective terminals by the use of a suitable tool to be projected through the opening in the casing. By this arrangement, the number of sockets in the string may be varied to adapt the string to different voltages of electrical current. Furthermore, the user of the socket may remove one socket that has become defective and replace it with a good socket without disassembling the socket assembly.

Referring now to Figure '7, the plug 19 maybe a plug of the type shown in Figure 6 or of the One conductor 1| perforation in the non-metallic housing of the plug and is connected to one terminal I2 of the plug. Terminals 12 and 13 of the plug are the usual prong terminals adapted to be inserted into a wall socket to connect a plug to a source of commercial current. Conductor extends serially through the eight sockets of the string,

but in Figure 7 only two sockets, l4 and 15, are shown andwthe dotted lines 16 indicatethe re--' maining sockets which have been omitted to avoid an unnecessary complication of the figure.

' From the last socket a conductor 1'! is led and terminated in an insulated terminal member 18 which may be either of the type shown in Figure 6 or the type shown in Figure 10. 7

Christmas tree strings are frequently terminated in a plug which contains both male and female contactors, although sometimes the plug contains only the male contactors. Plugs shown in Figures 6 and may be of either type but since the sections are taken in a plane parallel to the planes of the male plugs, the female connections do not show.

The details of construction of one form'of plug of the type shown at 10 in Figure 7 is shown in section in Figure 6, and Figure'll is a bottomside plan view of this plug. As shown the plug consists of a shell 88 composed of an insulating material, preferablymoulded to shape. Within the hollow portion of this shell are two mounting bosses 8| and 32, each of which carries a connecting means 83. The connecting means 83 may comprise both a male and a female member as is the usual custom, or if desired may con-. sist of only a male member. As shown both are included, the female being indicated at 83'. The usual fiat male prongs 83 serve to connect the plug with a source of commercial current in the usual manner. 1

A solid contactor v84, formed in the general shape of an L,'is attached to one of the connecting means 83 and extended across the plug between the mounting bosses 8|. The free end of this contactor is split at 85 to add resiliency to the member. Shell 89 is perforated at 86, the center of the perforation being on the axis of the contactor 84. The shell also contains a perforation through which wire H is extended. This wire is connected to the other one of the connecting means 83 in any preferred manner such as soldering or by the use of a screw such as H.

Wire H at the other extremity of the string is connected to a hollow cylindrical shell or terminal 81 which is composed of metal and is slit at 83 so that it may be slipped over the free end of the contactor 84. Shell 81 is enclosed in a tube like casing 89 which encircles it and ex.- tends well beyond the free end of the terminal.

The free end of the shell 8'! is flared slightly so that when pressed into casing 89 the edges of the shell dig into the walls of the casing to hold the two together. Wire H is fixed to thev shell 81 in any preferred manner, such as by soldering.

The plug and terminal arrangement shown in Figures 10 and 12, differs from the foregoing in that the female contactor is within the plug and the male iswithin the terminal. This plug shown is one in which there is a bridge 9| extending across the plug 99 within the hollowed out portion thereof. Connecting means 92 are mounted upon this bridge and may comprise either a pair of male and female contacts or only a pair of male contacts, as desired.

The third contactor consists of a metallic tube 93, mounted inthe bridge on the median line of the plug with its axis in alignment with-the center of a perforation 94 in the casing 99. The

contactor 93 is split to give it resiliencyfind is 7.5;;

connected to one connecting means by a suitable means 93'.

Wire H is threaded through a second perforation in the casing 90 and is connected to the other one of the connecting means, as shown in Figure 12.

The wire at the opposite end of the string is connected to a terminal which comprises a solid cylindrical member 95 that is counterbored to receive the wire which may be soldered therein, or if desired may be secured therein by friction. A casing 95, composed of insulation and extending beyond the end of the terminal 95. The inside diameter of the casing is such that the wire receiving portion of plug 95 forms a press fit within it, and when once assembled together the parts cannot be separated readily. The outside diameter of casing 96 is slightly less than the diameter of the perforation S4 in the casing of the plug, so that when terminals 93 and 95 are registered together, casings 99 and 96 completely surround the connection to insulate it.

The plugs shown in Figures 6, 10. 11 and 12 are closed by a disc of fibre or other suitable insulation through which the prongs project. The friction between the prongs and disc holds the disc in place, in the usual manner.

The Christmas tree string shown in Figure '7 is possessed of many advantages. In placing the string upon the tree the plug is inserted into a convenient outlet and the single wire by which the various sockets of the string are connected together is strung around among the branches of 5 the tree to position the sockets in the most ad- 3 vantageous location. After this is done the terminal on wire i1 is plugged into a convenient plug to complete the circuit, and since the contactors in the plugs adapted to register with this terminal are all connected to the same side of the line a particular terminal may be connected to a plug other than the one to which the wire 'll of that particular string is connected should it ie more convenient to do so. During the manipulation of stringing the tree the terminal 18 is fully insulated so there is no likelihood of the decorator receiving an electrical shock. After the sockets are located in the desired position the lamps are inserted and should the string fail to light, the individual lamps may be tested by pushing the levers such as i8, 35 or 55 to short circuit the sockets, one at a time.

oftentimes, users of Christmas tree strings will want to insert the lamp bulbs in the sockets prior to the springing of a string upon a tree. Should this be done and the plug H! inserted into a source of electrical current, the string will be alive during the operation of placing it upon the tree. However, since the terminals 8'5 or 95 are surrounded by insulation and their free ends are disposed well within the insulating shell, there is no likelihood of the user receiving an electrical shock and this practice may be followed with safety. The procedure is the same as before, thatis as soon as the winding of the string upon the branches of the tree is completed, the terminal is brought back and inserted in a conveniently located socket which may be the same one from which the other end of the string emanates or which may be an entirely different socket.

The sockets are equipped with short circuiting means which are carried entirely by the socket and should it become necessary to remove the lamp receiving shell from the socket the short circuiting device is not disturbed and repair of a faulty socket may therefore be more easily made.

While I have chosen to show my invention by illustrating and describing a preferred embodiment of it, I have done so by way of example only and I am not to be limited thereby as there are many modifications and adaptations which can be made by one skilled in the art within the teachings of the invention.

Having thus shown and described my invention, what I consider new and desire to have protected by Letters Patent is pointed out in the appended claims,

What is claimed is:

1. A socket for a Christmas tree light comprising a cup like casing composed of insulating material, a metallic strip secured to said casing and extending along a side wall thereof, a nonmetallic lever fixed to said strip and extending outside of the casing, a lamp receiving shell fixed in said casing in electrical contact with said strip, said strip being disposed alongside of said shell and contact means carried by said shell and insulated therefrom, sa'id lever being movable to engage said strip with said contact means to electrically connect the same with said shell.

2. A casing for decorative lighting sets comprising a cup like member composed of insulation and having a hollow interior and a groove opening thereinto, the closed end of said casing containing a plurality of perforations one of which registers with said groove, a bridge formed in said casing and across said groove, a strip like metallic member fixed in said casing and engaging said bridge, a lever disposed in said groove and extending through said perforation, and means fixing said lever to said metallic member.

3. A socket for a Christmas tree light comprising a generally cylindrical casing composed of an insulating material and closed at one end, a metallic cup like lamp receiving shell extending inwardly from the open end of said casing, the side walls of said casing being projected outwardly to form a groove within the casing alongside said shell and the closed end of the casing containing a perforation communicating with said groove, 2, spring member disposed in said groove and electrically connected to said shell, a non-metallic lever disposed in said groove and projecting through said perforation, and contact means carried by said shell and insulated therefrom, said lever being movable in said groove and perforation to move said spring into engagement with said contact means to establish an electrical connection therebetween.

4. A socket for a Christmas tree light comprising a cup like casing composed of insulating material and having an internal groove extending longitudinally, a bridge section of said casing extending across said groove near one end thereof, there being an opening in the opposite end of said casing with which said groove communicates, a lamp receiving shell within said casing, contact means carried by said shell and insulated therefrom, a metallic strip engaged with said bridge and normally engaging said shell, and a lever disposed in said groove and extending through the opening in said casing and fixed to said metallic strip, said lever being movable to engage said strip with said contact means to establish an electrical connection therebetween.

5. A socket for a Christmas tree light comprising a casing composed of insulation, there being a generally cylindrical cavity in said casing extending from one end thereof toward the other or closed end, the walls of said casing being recessed to form a groove opening into said cavity, said closed end of said casing containing a perforation that is registered with said groove and cavity, a bridge within said casing extending across said groove, a metallic lamp receiving shell disposed in said cavity, a spring member fixed in said casing by said bridge and disposed in said groove and electrically connected to said shell, contact means carried on said shell and insulated therefrom, and a lever fixed to said spring and operable to move the spring into engagement with said contact means.

6. A socket for a Christmas tree light comprising a casing composed of insulating material having a cavity opening into one end, and having a groove extending alongside of said cavity and opening into the other end of said casing, a lamp receiving shell disposed in said cavity, a lever composed of insulation and disposed in said groove and extending out of the casing, contact means carried on said shell and insulated therefrom, and spring means engaging said shell and fixed to said casing and operated by said lever into engagement with said contact means to connect the same to said shell.

'7. A socket for a Christmas tree light comprising a casing composed of insulating material having a cavity opening into one end, and having a groove extending alongside of said cavity and,

opening into the other end of said casing, a lamp receiving shell disposed in said cavity, a spring secured to said casing and electrically connected to said shell and disposed in said groove, a lever composed of insulation and secured to said spring and extending through said groove and beyond said casing, and contact means carried on said shell and insulated therefrom, said lever being movable with respect to said casing to move said spring into engagement with said contact means to electrically connect the same to said shell.

8. A socket for a Christmas tree light comprising a cup-like casing composed of insulation, the walls of said casing being shaped to form a groove opening into the closed end of the casing, a bridge in said casing extending across said groove to close the other end of the groove and form a pocket adjacent to the open end of the casing, a metallic strip disposed in said groove and extending intosaid pocket, means on said strip for holding the same in said casing, lamp receiving means in said casing comprising lamp terminal contacting means, and means disposed in said groove fixed to said strip and extending outside of said casing and operable to move said strip into engagement with said terminal contacting means thereby to shortcircuit said lamp receiving means.

9. A socket for a Christmas tree light comprising a cup-like casing composed of insulation and having a pair of grooves opening into perforations in the closed end of the casing, bridges across said grooves near the open end of said casing, said bridges being spaced away from the walls of the casing to form extensions of said grooves opening into the open end of said casing, a metallic strip disposed in one groove and encircling the associated bridge, a lever fixed to said strip and extending through the associated perforation in the casing, a wire threaded through the second perforation and extending through the second groove and around the associated bridge, a lamp receiving shell disposed within said casing and engaging said strip and wire, a contactor carried by said shell and insulated therefrom, a second wire threaded through said second perforation and connected to said contactor, said lever being operable to engage said strip with said contactor to test a lamp in the socket.

10. A socket for a Christmas tree light comprising a cuplike casing composed of insulation and having a pair of grooves opening into perforations in the closed end of the casing, a shoulder within said casing adjacent to the open end thereof, a dished ring fitted Within said casing and against said shoulder, diametrically opposed strips extending from said ring and disposed in said grooves, a lever disposed in one groove and fixed to the associated strip, a wire disposed in the other groove and in electrical contact with said other strip, a lamp receiving shell disposed in said casing and against said ring, a contactor carried by and insulated from said shell and a second wire electrically connected to said contactor, said lever being operable to engage said first strip with said contactor to test a lamp in the socket.

11. A socket for a Christmas tree light comprising, a hollow generally cylindrical member composed of insulating material and closed at one end to form a cup-like casing, said closed end containing a perforation, a spring fixed in said casing near the open end thereof and extending toward said closed end, a lever fixed to said spring and extending through said perforation and out of said casing, a metallic lamp receiving shell fixed in said casing alongside of said spring and in electrical contact therewith, and contact means carried on said shell and insulated therefrom, said lever being operable to move said spring into engagement with said contact means to connect the same thereto electrically.

12. A socket for a Christmas tree light comprising, a cup-like casing composed of insulating material having grooves opening into perforations in the closed end thereof, a shoulder within said casing adjacent to the open end thereof, a dished ring fitted within said casing and against said shoulder, strip means extending from said ring and disposed in said grooves, a lever means fixed to said strip means, a wire extending into said casing and in electrical contact with saidring, a lamp receiving shell disposed in said oasing and against said ring, a contactor carried by and insulated from said shell, and a second Wire electrically connected to said contactor, said lever means being operable to engage said strip means with said contactor to test a lamp in the socket.

EMIEL P. SEGI-IERS. 

